EMMYÂ®-WINNING SERIES BANSHEE TO RETURN TO CINEMAX FOR ITS FOURTH SEASON IN 2016

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2015 â" The hit action series BANSHEE will return to CINEMAX in 2016 for a fourth season of eight episodes, which will shoot in Pittsburgh, Pa., it was announced today by Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming. The EmmyÂ®-winning show is currently in its third season, with episodes debuting Fridays at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT). BANSHEE's fourth season will be executive produced by Alan Ball, Greg Yaitanes, Jonathan Tropper, Peter Macdissi, Adam Targum and Ole Christian Madsen.

Returning cast and crew will be announced when they are confirmed.

BANSHEE's third season launched last month to rave reviews. Yahoo! called the show "wildly witty," and the Huffington Post described BANSHEE as "one of TV's most reliable pleasures," while the A.V. Club noted, "The BANSHEE team remains in full command of their instrument." TV Guide has described BANSHEE as "addictively entertaining" and Grantland said the show is "a whole hell of a lot of fun."

Debuting in Jan. 2013, BANSHEE stars Antony Starr ("Wish You Were Here") as Lucas Hood, an ex-con and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, Pa., where he continues his criminal pursuits while enforcing his own code of justice.

In addition to Starr, season three stars include Ivana Milicevic ("Untitled Cameron Crowe Project," HBO's "Mind of the Married Man") as Carrie Hopewell, a notorious jewel thief who lives in Banshee under an assumed identity with her family, which has recently learned of her criminal past; Ulrich Thomsen ("The Celebration") as Kai Proctor, an intimidating, wealthy businessman who believes he is above the law; Frankie Faison ("The Good Wife," HBO's "The Wire") as Sugar Bates, a powerful and wise former boxer and ex-con who is now the owner of the local watering hole; and Hoon Lee ("The Blacklist") as Job, a dangerous transvestite computer hacker who assists Lucas and Carrie in their criminal enterprises.

In Sept. 2013, BANSHEE received a Primetime EmmyÂ® Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role.

Season three credits: BANSHEE was created by Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler; executive producers, Alan Ball, Greg Yaitanes, Jonathan Tropper and Peter Macdissi; producer, Robert F. Phillips.

Cable's Hot New Fantasy-Adventure Show Reaches 11.4 Million Viewers Each Week

TNT has renewed its hit fantasy-adventure The Librarians. One of the hottest new shows on cable, The Librarians burst onto the scene with a chart-topping launch in December and went on to finish the year as basic cable's #2 new series of 2014, second only to TNT's The Last Ship.

The show's success extends across TNT's multiple platforms, with each week's episode reaching an average of 11.4 million viewers through linear telecasts, DVR playback and VOD, digital and mobile viewing. TNT has ordered 10 episodes for the second season, which is slated to launch later this year.

Based on TNT's hit movie franchise, The Librarians centers on an ancient organization hidden beneath the Metropolitan Public Library dedicated to protecting an unknowing world from the secret, magical reality hidden all around. Rebecca Romijn (X-Men), Christian Kane (TNT's Leverage, Angel), Lindy Booth (Dawn of the Dead, The Philanthropist) and John Kim (Neighbors, The Pacific) star in the series as the newest protectors of the world's mystical treasures, with Emmy® winner John Larroquette (Night Court, Deception) as their reluctant caretaker. Noah Wyle (Falling Skies, ER) recurs as Flynn Carsen, the role he played in TNT's movie trilogy.

The Librarians is produced by Electric Entertainment, with executive producers Dean Devlin, John Rogers, Marc Roskin and Noah Wyle.

The longest-running drama on television set to enter its 17th season in the fall, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is averaging a 2.5 rating, 7 share in 18-49 and 9.5 million viewers. That matches the show's highest 18-49 rating at this point in the season in four years (since earning a 2.8 in 2010-11). In total viewers, "Law & Order: SVU" is up +10% this season versus last (9.5 million vs. 8.7 million), and is delivering its biggest overall audience at this point in the season in six years (since averaging 10.5 million in 2008-09).

Also from Universal Television and Wolf Films, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes.